PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Medical device alarms can signal a warning of medical necessity – but the number of alarms can also be excessive, distracting, and clinically insignificant. Unwarranted alarms often cause caregivers to take unsafe actions, such as turning the alarm volume to an inaudible level or even turning the alarm off; causing a potential clinical alarm hazard.

Since the launch of ECRI Institute's Top 10 Health Technology Hazards list, alarms have frequently gotten top billing. Earlier this year, the Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert on medical device alarms, and recently announced that alarm management will become a National Patient Safety Goal.

Recognize what hospitals need to do to comply with the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goal on alarm management

Understand the technical requirements necessary to comply and the expectations from the Joint Commission

Identify some policies and procedures every facility should have in place to help promote alarm safety

Experts from ECRI Institute, and Patricia Adamski, RN, MS, MBA, FACHE, Director, at The Joint Commission, will tackle the important issues involved with this new patient safety goal. The interactive format of ECRI Institute's web conference will provide ample time to interact with the panel during the Q&A session and encourages participation.

This program is intended for risk managers, clinical staff, nursing administrators, ICU staff, clinical department heads, clinical and biomedical engineers, materials managers, and other healthcare professionals. Members of ECRI Institute's Health Devices System™, Health Devices Gold™, and SELECTPlus™ programs will receive this program at no cost as part of their membership, but advance registration is required.

ECRI Institute will offer live updates from the event on Twitter at #EIConf.

To learn more, or to register for this web conference, visit the website or contact ECRI Institute by telephone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5889; by e-mail at circulation2@ecri.org; by fax at (610) 834-0240; or by mail at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298, USA. ECRI Institute also offers free resources in our free eNewsletters.

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About ECRI Institute​ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes enable improved patient care. As pioneers in this science for 45 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. Strict conflict-of-interest guidelines ensure objectivity. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).